Monday, June 30, 2014

Monday Jump Start: Lightened Up Quiche

I play around in the kitchen a lot, but coming up with a good recipe is always exciting for me (especially when it's healthy too). I love quiche for it's ease, versatility, and square meal all in one. What's more comforting than pastry, cheese, and ham? This recipe was created by modifying a recipe Natalie posted about. By modifying amounts of full fat and calorie ingredients with lower fat ingredients my quiche came out wonderfully without the guilt! In no way does this quiche taste figure friendly. You still get all the lovely cheesey, decadent satisfaction that comes from quiche with a lot less fat. This makes a really easy dinner, brunch dish, or quick lunch when reheated. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Take your pie shell out of the freezer and allow to thaw for 10-15 minutes

In a bowl, whisk together whole eggs and egg whites. In a separate bowl mix together flour and baking powder. Once mixed, add some of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and incorporate. Add egg and dry mixture to the rest of the eggs and add in the milk. When everything is mixed together add pepper and salt (go easy on the salt as the ham and cheddar have salt in them). Set aside.

When the oven has reached the proper temperature, I like to pop the pie crust in for a few minutes to get it going and reduce the risk of soggy crust (3-5 minutes should do). Remove the partially baked crust and add the ham, cheese, and scallions directly into the pie shell. Pour the egg and milk mixture over top the ingredients in the pie shell. If you are compelled, you can give everything a quick stir with a spoon. Transfer the quiche to a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes until the quiche puffs up some* and is golden brown on the top.

Let the quiche cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Leftovers will last a few days when kept covered and in the refrigerator.